Part II

You know, I didn’t think we were going to have a white Christmas this year, but boy was I sure wrong.

Murphy’s Law: You will get a snow storm right before you make the long drive home in your car that sucks in snow.

Murphy’s Law #2: Your car battery will die with a trunk full of groceries just before your party. Never jinx yourself by saying the words “ahead of schedule”. Fail.

With a few hiccups aside, we actually had a great holiday. The main part was that we were together, enjoying each other’s company and slowly driving each other crazy. We laughed, ate good food, and argued over trivia games. That’s true family love. I only wish that my side of the family was there too. We can be crazy like the best of them.

Anyway, Benny sure didn’t mind the snow one bit.

After a late breakfast and waiting for a snow plow that never arrived, we decided to get out there and shovel the driveway the old fashioned way. Shoveling is always more fun with a group, especially when you can rotate shovels and take mini breaks.

We grabbed every shovel we could find in the garage including the kids shovels and the heavy gardening shovels. I was thankful for this unexpected exercise, even if I can’t move normally this morning.

Benny was overseeing the project.

Even though he’s a senior with arthritis problems, Benny was just as happy as could be out there with us, hobbling along slowly and wagging his tail.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch the cats laughed at us through the windows.

Sketchie guarded the gifts and Finnegan monitored the water levels of the artificial tree.

After a couple hours we finished the very, very long driveway – well we finished enough that we could just squeak out our cars!

Even though it was tiring work, this was probably my favourite memory of the entire holiday. As my sister in law yelled out (by mistake), it was true family bondage! heh. Err…bonding.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you enjoy some down time as the year draws to a close. With my manuscript due date quickly approaching I can’t say I will be doing a lot of relaxing, but I do have fun plans for New Years thankfully. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a new blog series in 2013.

I’m not sure how it’s Friday already, but enjoy the last weekend of 2012!

Sounds like you already have a busy 2013 ahead. Good luck getting the manuscript done!

And growing up in Minnesota and then Chicago, I can relate to getting dumped on with snow just when you don’t think you’re going to, getting stuck, and always with something important in the truck and there is no such thing as ahead of schedule in the winter weather. Glad things worked out and you had a nice holiday :)

Beautiful photos. All the snow in Wisconsin has helped me stay put to get some home projects done.
I had a dog (Murphy – golden/lab mix) who loved the snow. He would roll around making doggie snow angels!

Isn’t this snow crazy!?! I couldn’t believe it when I saw how much had come down on Boxing Day. I’m glad you guys had plenty of bonding time (or bondage as far as your sister in law is concerned!!) I’m excited to see this new series in 2013! :) Happy last Friday!

It sounds like you guys had a nice holiday (despite some setbacks which you still manage to sound positive and keep a good sense of humour about ;p).
Love the pics. And your sister-in-law is funny!
Can’t wait for the cookbook!!!!!

Now I remember why I moved from Buffalo to California! I do not miss the snow! I can recall as a kid having the car get stuck in snow on Christmas Eve, several years in a row!! The Christmas tree photo with the cat is gorgeous!! Happy Holidays Angela!!

That actually looks like it was a blast! I love those moments, even though they’re fun “in disguise.”

When my brother and sister-in-law got married, they had their wedding reception outdoors under a beautiful tent. It was a hot summer’s day and all of a sudden a HUGE downpour came. The people all along the edge of the tent – including the wedding party at the head table – were getting soaked. So the entire group of attendees got up and rushed to roll down and secure the sides of the tent. Everyone laughed and had a lot of fun with it, even while we got wet. It’s amazing how those kind of moments pull people together, and awesome memories are created.

Sounds and looks like a wonderful holiday with family – thanks so much for sharing. You are an incredible photographer – I saw a beautiful Christmas card the other day – a close up of an iced over tree branch – simple but gorgeous – it reminded me of your photos. You have many gifts…looking forward to 2013 and all OSG has to bring! Happy holidays Angela!

My jeans are ready for me to bid farewell to Christmas gingerbread cookies, but my mouth is not, so I’ve been whipping up your gingerbread pumpkin oats and gingerbread smoothies. Thanks for such great recipes all year round. When I count my blessings, your blog is among them. Best wishes for 2013 — I’m excited to see what else you’ll be coming up with!

Happy holidays! I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now, good luck on the cookbook…I can’t wait for it! For Christmas, I made “My Favourite Granola” for gifts. Funny how it didn’t stretch as far as I planned, it was so good I couldn’t stop eating it! My favorite dish to take to gatherings now is the roasted butternut squash with kale, everyone loves it. And I have your spice red lentil, tomato, and kale soup on the stove right now. Thanks for every recipe you share!

Old fashioned ways bring people together better than anything I’ve found. I’m really glad you had a nice time with everyone and got to be out in the snow too! I hope you have a hapy New Year and I’m looking forward to this new series.